Textured Bead Blog

Take your beading to the next level with bead artist Linda Landy posts regularly about the techniques you need to create bead-embroidered works that are sculptural, three-dimensional, and very textured. Keep up with trends and new products in bead embroidery and bead weaving.

With the much anticipated debut of Textured Bead Embroidery imminent, I thought I'd talk a little about why this book is different?

This book is designed for all beaders. Beginners will find everything they need to try bead embroidery for the first time. For intermediate and advanced beaders there is a wide variety of innovative new techniques and some fun projects. But I am most proud of the chapter on designing. It was developed to allow more experienced beaders to create their own pieces with confidence. I discuss how I approach a new piece and cover several artistic concepts written from the perspective for a bead embroidery artist.

There are several things that make this book unique. First and foremost are the innovative techniques that I have developed for bead embroidery and my unusual three dimensional style. This is a new and different style of bead embroidery. I have built upon what I learned from the incredibly talented bead artists that came before me. I take common beads and use them in unexpected ways. Textured Bead Embroidery is exciting and dramatic. It is for the bead artist who wants to take the craft to the next level.

The projects in the book are new and fresh and different. They were designed to be very doable and unintimidating. I want the reader to look at the projects and say, “I love that and I can do it.”

Just as important is the CD included with the book. I love the idea that the reader can print the designs right on to their beading foundation and start beading. Being able to print the designs out onto your beading foundation eliminates a lot of the upfront work for a project.

And, I don’t think any of the other bead embroidery books have approached the subject on a bead-by-bead basis. The bead glossary explores the types of beads I use and their applications. I expect it to be an excellent reference source. A bead says to herself, “Okay, I love these daggers. What can I do with them? How do I shop for beads? What beads should I avoid?” The answers are all there.

In my years of teaching I have learned the importance of clear, concise and detailed instructions with lots of photographs and illustrations. I taught myself bead weaving by reading Carol Wilcox Wells’ book Creative Bead Weaving. This book was written so that anyone could pick it up and jump headfirst into Textured Bead Embroidery.

I also talk about overcoming the problems I faced when I first started bead embroidery. I would have saved a lot of tearing out and torn foundation had I known some of the techniques I explain in the book.

Finally, I love all the little tips that are tucked into the book. I hope the readers enjoy them.

The concepts and projects in the book are new and fresh and different. They were designed to be very doable and unintimidating. I want the reader to look at the projects and say, “I love that and I can do it.”

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